There is a t-shirt that says "Born in Maine, Living in Exile." I lived in "exile" (actually a very nice place) for 32 years, and returned to Maine in 2005. That's not necessarily what all this is about, just the only title I could think of at the time.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Friday Five: Taking a Break

At RevGalBlogPals, Songbird, who lives about 35 miles from me, says:"Where we live, it's February School VacationWeek!

Yes, that's an odd thing, a vacation extending President's Day. But it's part of our lives here. Some people go South or go skiing, but we always stay home and find more humble amusements.

In that spirit, I offer this Taking a Break Friday Five. Tell us how you would spend:

First off, I have to admit -- right now it's all a break for me, in many ways. That might change before long, but since I don't have a job or children at home, my schedule is my own. So in answering these questions I'll be looking ahead, or back, or into some kind of fantasy world.

1. A 15-minute break: coffee and a book. That's what I did when I had jobs that offered breaks, and that's what I do now if I'm taking a break from some lengthy chore.

2. An afternoon off: wander downtown, exploring shops and coffee places I haven't been into, but surely ending up at the bookstore. Or if I were broke: go to the library and look at the new books, magazines, and any exhibits that are up.3. An unexpected free day: to me right now, this means a day where we would have no dog responsibilities. I'd like to go to City by the Sea and check out the historical society library, and if I were tired of that, visit the art museum and have lunch at a place we've never been to.

4. A week's vacation: right now, a week at the beach in South Carolina sounds really good. If I get to go this year, it will be in May, and it will still be good then.5. A sabbatical: no piddly three-months sabbaticals for us! Nosir. We (Onkel Hankie Pants and I) want a whole year, and although there might be many things we could choose, I think we could agree on a literary/genealogical tour of the British Isles. There's enough there to keep him busy and happy taking pictures while I poke around ancestor-hunting, and we would both enjoy seeing the Lake District, the Cotswolds, the Fen Country, London, Scotland, and so on and so on. We would also require a ten-pound box of money and someone to care for the dog and cat; or if we could arrange a home exchange, perhaps only a five-pound box of money.All the photos, except for the beach one which is mine, are from wonderful photographers at Flickr.com. The Maine St. photo has my hairdresser's salon, which I should visit soon, afternoon off or not!